Mark Bakker, Applications Engineer at Fluke, answers a series of questions about the company's solutions for renewable energies, including photovoltaics.
The solar energy market is booming. What are the essential test tools that every electrician or installer must use to ensure optimum efficiency and safety?
Whether commissioning or maintaining photovoltaic (PV) systems, it goes without saying that electricians, installation and maintenance technicians need to have the most effective testing solutions at their disposal, as PV systems have peculiarities that require specialized tools for their study, installation and reporting. In addition to solar irradiance meters and photovoltaic testers, more advanced PV test tools, such as the SMFT-1000, are needed for residential, industrial and other large-scale solar panel installations, solar farms and even photovoltaic power plants.
What are the essential functions of these tools?
Test tools must incorporate technology to protect against electric shock and electrocution from contact with live conductors, arc faults that can start fires, and arc flashes that can cause explosions. To guard against these problems, users need specialized tools including integrated quick-stop systems, arc-fault circuit breakers and arc-flash mitigation devices on both AC and DC segments.
It is also important to ensure that the measuring equipment is suitable for the category in question. In other words, check the CAT rating and voltage level for the intended application. A digital multimeter must be able to withstand not only average voltage levels, but also high-voltage peaks, as well as the transients that can circulate on the network during measurement. For photovoltaic system testing, category III multimeters tolerating overvoltages up to 1,500 V are becoming the norm. Other key features can further enhance safety and efficiency, such as the ability to work at high altitudes, the inclusion of retractable probes, probe protection tips or thinner-tipped probes that avoid contact between two metal surfaces and thus short-circuits. Finally, to ensure that the application is compliant, it's important to have high-quality cables with at least the same CAT rating as the multimeter.
You mentioned the SMFT-1000. This is a relatively new product from Fluke. What are its key features?
The SMFT-1000 is a multi-function photovoltaic tester, performance analyzer and I-V curve plotter designed specifically for PV professionals providing installation, commissioning and maintenance services on systems up to 1000 V dc. It is IEC 62446-1 approved for Category 1 and 2 tests. Key features include open-circuit voltage (VOC) measurement on the PV module/string up to 1,000 V dc, and short-circuit current (ISC) measurement up to 20 A dc. I-V curve results can be consulted directly on site, enabling instant comparison of the data displayed with the reference data supplied by the manufacturer for the I-V curve. If the I-V curve does not correspond to its ideal form, its deviations facilitate system fault analysis.
We've also designed it to be compatible with Fluke TruTest data management software. This feature allows installation and commissioning test data to be imported from site, organized and analyzed for easy on-site reporting without the use of a PC.
How does Fluke position its products in relation to the competition?
Our starting point is always the customer's needs. Customer issues often reflect industry-specific challenges and the lack of solutions to address them. We ask our customers directly what they need, and work hard to fill market gaps accordingly.
Whatever the equipment, Fluke products include many key features that are rare or non-existent on other solutions. For solar applications, this includes a powerful battery to ensure mobility and simplify on-site use, a consistent IP54 rating for use outdoors and on photovoltaic installations, drop resistance ensured by a rugged design and a tough, industrial-grade housing, backlit keys for dark environments, a compact size and, above all, outstanding reliability.
Fluke products are always designed with the user's needs in mind, so as not to impose a compromise between quality and functionality, and to maintain an affordable price.
Given the shortage of skilled labor, what is Fluke doing to ensure that its tools remain accessible and easy to use?
We are fully aware of the current levels of expertise in the field of testing, which is why all our tools feature an intuitive, easy-to-use interface. But that's not all: the measurement storage interface, which depicts the structure of the PV system, enables data to be stored at a location in the model which corresponds to the actual measurement point. Nowadays, operators don't need to have extensive experience or technical skills to use state-of-the-art equipment. The "pointer-tester" represents the future in the photovoltaic sector (but not only), as it enables work to be carried out quickly and accurately, whatever the skill level, with a minimum of human intervention and input.
What other segments of the renewable energy market are Fluke interested in? What solutions do you offer customers in these segments?
The photovoltaic market is very important to us, but Fluke also offers a whole range of solutions for wind and geothermal power. Whether operators are working on grid-connected or off-grid systems, hybrid or second-line, it's vital to maintain the reliability and efficiency of critical infrastructure. Our range of test equipment is designed to serve renewable energy players worldwide.
We're also involved in energy management itself. This is becoming more and more essential to the success of manufacturers, but not only. We help customers in the energy sector to stay one step ahead. They can use our products, such as power quality analyzers, to manage their energy use, waste and network quality, to save money and ensure optimum conditions of availability, reliability and compliance.
Of course, wind and sun remain intermittent sources, but when they are available it's crucial that turbines and solar panels are in optimum configuration to generate maximum energy from these natural resources. Sustainability is at the heart of our culture, and so are all the tools we develop, such as the Fluke 117 electrician's multimeter with non-contact voltage measurement, the Fluke 376 FC TRMS multimeter clamp with iFlex technology, the Fluke 1630-2 FC ground loop clamp and the Fluke 279 FC TRMS thermal multimeter.